Perfume dispenser provided with a perforable cartridge

ABSTRACT

The perfume dispenser ( 1 ) includes a container ( 3 ) containing a perfume, a device ( 2 ) for pumping and atomizing the perfume, a pump and a tube ( 16 ) for drawing off the perfume. The first end ( 18 ) of the tube is connected to the pump, the second end ( 20 ) thereof being arranged in the bottom of the container ( 3 ) which includes a region perforable by the tube ( 16 ) embodied in the form of a perforation unit.

The present invention relates to a perfume dispenser of the typecomprising:

-   -   a container containing perfume,    -   a device for pumping and atomizing the perfume, the device        comprising an atomizer, a pump and a tube for drawing off the        perfume, the tube comprising a first end connected to the pump        and a second end which is to be arranged in the bottom of the        container.

Such dispensers are generally bulky and cannot be placed and kept in thepocket of an item of clothing.

In addition, in order to refill such dispensers, the container isgenerally filled with a vial containing perfume. Such an operationproves to be tricky to implement and may lead to some of the perfumebeing spilt and lost.

Dispensers of the above-mentioned type that are accommodated inpresentation cases are also known.

When the container is empty, the whole of the dispenser inside thepresentation case is replaced. Thus, refilling with perfume proves to beparticularly expensive.

An object of the invention is to solve this problem by providing adispenser of the above-mentioned type which can have small dimensionsand which can be refilled readily and economically.

To that end, the invention relates to a dispenser of the above-mentionedtype, characterized in that the container comprises a perforable regionand the tube forms a member for perforating the perforable region.

According to particular embodiments, the dispenser may comprise one ormore of the following features, taken in isolation, or in accordancewith any technically possible combination:

-   -   the tube comprises metal, at least at its second end;    -   the perforable region is a disc delimited in the container by a        region of lesser resistance;    -   the container is composed of plastics material;    -   the container is force-fitted in the pumping and atomizing        device in order to be held relative thereto.

The invention relates also to a container for a dispenser such asdefined above, characterized in that it comprises a perforable region.

According to variants:

-   -   the perforable region is a disc delimited in the container by a        region of lesser resistance; and    -   the container is composed of plastics material.

The invention relates also to a pumping and atomizing device for adispenser such as defined above, characterized in that the draw-off tubeforms a member for perforating a perforable region of a container.

According to one variant, the draw-off tube comprises metal, at least atits second end.

The invention will be better understood on reading the followingdescription which is given purely by way of example and with referenceto the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded diagrammatic perspective view of a dispenseraccording to the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are partial and diagrammatic sections illustrating thecoupling of the container and the pumping and atomizing device of thedispenser.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perfume dispenser 1 which comprises:

-   -   a pumping and atomizing device 2;    -   a container 3 containing perfume, and    -   a case 4.

The device 2 comprises a plug 6 comprising a pump and an atomizer. Theplug 6 comprises a fixed body 7 and a mobile push-button 8 for manualoperation of the pump in order to bring about the suction of the perfumeand its atomization. Such a plug 6 is conventional and the structure ofits pump and its atomizer will therefore not be described in moredetail.

The lateral wall of the body 7 of the plug 6 comprises a threaded lowersection 12, a threaded upper section 13 and a projecting bead 14separating the sections 12 and 13.

The device 2 also comprises a tube 16 for drawing off the perfume, whoseupper end 18 is connected to the inlet of the pump and whose bevelledlower end 20 is to be located in the bottom of the container 3.

The tube 16 is composed of metal.

The container 3 is a cartridge which is composed of plastics materialand which has a vertically elongated substantially cylindrical shape.The container 3 comprises at its upper end an annular neck 22 delimitinga circular opening 24 for the passage of the draw-off tube 16.

As illustrated by FIG. 3, the neck 22 is received in a circular housing26 provided in the lower wall of the body 7 of the plug 6.

The neck 22 has an outside diameter which is initially slightly largerthan the inside diameter of the housing 26. The housing 26 thereforereceives the neck 22 with a press fit, thus ensuring that the container3 is held vertically relative to the plug 6.

The lower end 20 of the tube 16 is then located in the vicinity of thebottom 28 of the container 3.

The case 4 comprises a lower portion 30 whose upper end is tapped inorder to be screwed onto the lower section 12 of the body 7, and anupper portion 32 forming a cap whose lower end is also tapped in orderto be screwed onto the upper section 13 of the body 7.

The opening 24 for the passage of the tube 16 has been formed in thecontainer 3 by pressing in a disc 34 connected to the neck 22 by anannular region 36 of lesser resistance. This is illustrated by FIGS. 2and 3.

To be more precise, in order to couple the container 3 to the pumpingand atomizing device 2, the container 3 has been displaced upwardsrelative to the device 2 as symbolized by the arrow 38 in FIG. 2.

In the course of that movement, the lower end 20 of the tube 16 hasborne on the disc 34 and caused the region 36 of lesser resistance tobreak. The disc 34 has then been pressed into the container 3. Themovement of the container 3 has been terminated by the fitting, withslight force, of the neck 22 of the container 3 in the housing 26 of theplug 6. In the course of this fitting operation, the neck 22 has becomeresiliently deformed.

It will be noted that the pressing-in of the disc 34 has been achievedowing to the fact that the tube 16 composed of metal is sufficientlyrigid.

When the portions 30 and 32 of the case 4 are screwed onto the plug 6,the dispenser 1 is substantially in the form of a lipstick case. Thepush-button 8 and the container 3 are therefore masked.

The dispenser 1 then has a height lower than 11 cm and a width smallerthan 4 cm.

The small dimensions and the low mass of the dispenser 1 enable it to beplaced and kept in a pocket or in a small bag. The dispenser 1 istherefore particularly suitable for travel.

When it is desired to use the dispenser 1, the upper portion 32 of thecase 4 is unscrewed and then the push-button 8 is operated in aconventional manner.

When the container 3 is empty, the lower portion 30 of the case 4 isunscrewed relative to the plug 6.

The empty container 3 is then withdrawn by displacing it downwards, andit is then replaced by a full new container 3, as described above withreference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

Such an operation of replacing the container 3 and therefore refillingthe dispenser 1 proves to be particularly simple to implement and doesnot involve any risk of spilling perfume. In addition, the costassociated with refilling the dispenser 1 is low.

Furthermore, the dispenser 1 is light and is inexpensive to manufacture.

In a variant which is not shown, it is possible for only the lower end20 of the tube 16 to be composed of metal.

In yet another variant, the lower end 20 may be pointed to form a needlefor piercing the container 3. In that case, the disc 34 is notnecessarily connected to the rest of the container 3 by a region 36 oflesser resistance.

Indeed, the mere fact of producing the container 3 from a low-resistancematerial, such as a plastics material, enables the disc 34 to be piercedby the lower end 20 of the tube 16.

In general, the case 4 and the container may be in forms other thanthose shown in FIG. 1.

1. Perfume dispenser (1) comprising: a container (3) containing perfume,a device (2) for pumping and atomizing the perfume, the devicecomprising an atomizer, a pump and a tube (16) for drawing off theperfume, the tube comprising a first end (18) connected to the pump anda second end which is to be arranged in the bottom (28) of the container(3) in order to draw off the perfume, the container (3) comprising aperforable region (34) and the second end of the tube (16) forming amember for perforating the perforable region (34), wherein the containeris force-fitted in the pumping and atomizing device in order to be heldrelative thereto, the container comprising a neck, which is receivedwith a press fit into a housing of the device, the neck having anoutside diameter which is initially slightly larger than the inside ofthe housing.
 2. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the tube (16)comprises metal, at least at its second end (20).
 3. Dispenser accordingto claim 1, wherein the perforable region (34) is a disc delimited inthe container (3) by a region (36) of lesser resistance.
 4. Dispenseraccording to claim 1, wherein the container (3) is composed of plasticsmaterial.
 5. Dispenser according to claim 1, which further comprises acase (4).
 6. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein (3) is replaceable.7. Container for a dispenser according to claim 1, which containsperfume and comprises a perforable region (34).
 8. Container (3)according to claim 7, wherein the perforable region (34) is a discdelimited in the container (3) by a region (36) of lesser resistance. 9.Container according to claim 1, which is composed of plastics material.10. Dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the perforable region (34)is a disc delimited in the container (3) by a region (36) of lesserresistance.
 11. Container according to claim 7, which is composed ofplastics material.